Sumūd: A New Palestinian Reader

by Malu Halasa (Editor), Jordan Elgrably (editor)

An anthology that celebrates the power of culture in Palestinian resistance, with selections of memoir, short stories, essays, book reviews, personal narrative, poetry, and art.Includes twenty-five black-and-white illustrations by Palestinian artists.The Arabic word sumūd is often loosely translated as “steadfastness” or “standing fast.” It is, above all, a Palestinian cultural value of everyday perseverance in the face of Israeli occupation. Sumūd is both a personal and collective commitment; people determine their own lives, despite the environment of constant oppressions imposed upon them. This anthology spans the 20th and 21st centuries of Palestinian cultural history, and highlights writing from 2021–2024. The collection of writing and art features work from forty-six contributors from Hossam Madhoun, co-founder of Gaza's Theatre for Everybody, as he survives the post-October 2023 war on Gaza;Novelist Ahmed Masoud with “Application 39,” a sci-fi short story about a Dystopian bid for the Olympics;Sara Roy and Ivar Ekeland with “The New Politics of Gaza as Prologue,” an analysis of Israel’s divide and conquer policies of fragmentation;Historian Ilan Pappé with a review of Tahrir Hamdi’s book, Imagining Palestine, in which he unpacks the relationship between culture and resistance;Essayist Lina Mounzer with “Palestine and the Unspeakable,” an offering on the language used to dehumanize Palestinians;And poetry by the next generation of poets who have inherited the mantle of the late Mahmoud Darwish (1941–2008).The essays, stories, poetry, art and personal narrative collected in Sumū A New Palestinian Reader is a rich riposte to those who would denigrate Palestinians’ aspirations for a homeland. It also serves as a timely reminder of culture’s power and importance during occupation and war.

Genres: Nonfiction, History, Anthologies

400 pages, Paperback

First published January 21, 2025

Reviews

[sara · Rating 5 out of 5]

this collection of writing is gorgeously put together and is a reminder of why it's so important to continue to read works by palestinian writers!!! each story, essay and poem in this collection is so full of hope that one day palestine will free and their words are a testament to how resilient they are

[Naomi Falk · Rating 5 out of 5]

SUMŪD anthologizes work across literary and artistic genres from a range of Palestinian and diasporic voices as well as other artists in solidarity. It speaks to a stunning range of experiences, including archaeological, humanitarian, culinary, journalistic, architectural, and poetic perspectives. The editors have painstakingly sequenced the works from The Markaz Review to weave through these accounts and witness of occupied Palestine, which cover a timeline predating 1948 and leading to 2024. SUMŪD should be a required reading for all, to both secure and continue building history, understand and take action presently, and imagine the future for the courageous people of Palestine.

[Sam Portelance]

It's miraculous that we have these perspectives given that the IDF has targeted schools, reporters, authors, and theaters. All the voices published here stand in proud defiance to the terror regime at significant personal cost, several of the essays being published posthumously.

It's an inspiring and heartbreaking work, sharing insight into the ongoing humanitarian crisis American tax dollars are helping perpetrate and then ineffectually dabbing at with antiseptic.

[Lila Naman · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was phenomenal!

[Caitlin O'Sullivan · Rating 5 out of 5]

all flourishing is mutual 🇵🇸🤍